Casket-top holder



May 2, 1939. J. w. ROBERTS GASKET-TOP HOLDER Filed Feb. 11, 1957 Jaco& Z7. Roberts ATTO R N EYS Patented May 2, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1 Claim.

This invention relates to casket top holders, and has for the primary object the provision of means which may be readily adapted to a casket and its top or cover whereby the latter may be supported in an upright or open position to expose the corpse and to support the veil clear of the corpse thereby rendering an inexpensive casket with the appearance and advantages of an expensive casket where the top or cover is hinged and capable of assuming an upright position when opened.

With these and other objects in view, this invention consists in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

For a complete understanding of my invention, reference is to be had to the following description and accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective view illustrating a casket equipped with my invention.

Figure 2 is a fragmentary transverse sectional view showing the same.

Figure 3 is a perspective view illustrating one of the holders.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional View illustrating a modified form of holder.

Figure 5 is a sectional view taken on the line 55 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the drawing, the numeral 1 indicates a casket of an inexpensive construction, the cover or top thereof being shown as consisting of separable sections 2 and 3. After the placing of a corpse in a casket of this type the section 2 is secured in position with the section 3 still removed therefrom so as to expose the face and shoulders of the corpse to view. It is customary to place over the open portion of the casket a veil which rests upon the face of the corpse and consequently partially obscures features of the corpse. In order to render a casket of this kind with the advantages and substantially the same appearance as an expensive casket, my invention is adapted thereto which consists of holders 4 constructed to grip the flange 5 of the casket I and also receive the section 3 of the top or cover of the casket so that the section 3 will be supported vertically whereby a veil 6 may be draped thereover and also over the open portion of the casket keeping the veil from contacting 5 the corpse and giving the casket an appearance of an expensive one.

Each holder 4 is constructed from a single length of resilient material first bent into substantially U-shaped form, as shown at 5', including a bight portion 6 and arm portions 1. One of the arm portions 1 is bent upon itself and then again bent to form a substantially U-shaped clamp 8. The bent portions of one of the arms are secured together by a clip 9. The arms 1 receive therebetween the section 3 of the cover or top and the clamp 8 fits over the flange 5 of the casket.

In some instances the casket is not equipped with a flange 5 and to adapt my invention to a casket of the latter-named type, the clamp 8 is connected to the bight portion of the holder by a hinge In including in its construction a headed bolt H with a nut l2 threaded thereon. By releasing the nut l2 the clamp may then be positioneol to engage over the upper edge of a vertical wall of the casket with the holder extending upwardly from the pivot.

The veil 6 may have a suitable backing l3 which will conceal from view the holders.

Having described the invention, I claim:

A clamp for casket lids of that type separate from the casket comprising a flat resilient strip bent on itself to provide a substantially U-shaped clamp including resilient arms to grip a casket lid and a bight portion to rest on a flange of a casket, one of said arms being bent on itself to shorten said arm over the other arm, a clip applied to the shorter arm to hold the portions thereof against each other, and a substantially U-shaped resilient clip to engage with the flange of the casket and secured on the short arm adjacent the bight portion.

JACOB W. ROBERTS. 

